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NEW YORK / WAM
Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, has said that the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), to be held in the UAE at the end of this year, is a crucial moment for the world to come together and line up behind faster, more equitable and transformative climate measures.
In his inaugural address at the session of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, outlined his four key priorities or “watchwords” for the session: peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability.
He acknowledged the complex challenges facing the world, including climate change, conflict, and poverty, which have made peace more elusive, while geopolitical divides have bred scepticism towards multilateral systems.
“As the UN’s chief policy making body, the General Assembly bears a special responsibility to ensure that our efforts must be anchored in a robust multilateral system, faithful to the cherished values and principles enshrined in UN Charter,” he said.
Francis also emphasised the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the upcoming SDG Summit as a critical opportunity to accelerate progress.
He also shed light on the need to accelerate the transition to clean energy and boost support for adaptation by making climate finance more available, more accessible, and more affordable. Francis, a diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago, was sworn in at the closing of the 77th session of the General Assembly.